


Wasteland

by PrincessTurk



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Drinking, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Memories, Out of Character, Road Trips, Smoking, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-08-10 03:29:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20128633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessTurk/pseuds/PrincessTurk
Summary: AU, OOC Sephiroth/Cloud; Sephiroth can't get over the fact that Genesis left him. Can Cloud change that? Explicit warning for later chapters.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Request/gift fic for KirasTastefulTragedy! AU; Sephiroth/Genesis every once in a while and Sephiroth/Cloud for the most part. OOC Cloud and Sephiroth - Cloud's a hard-ass and Sephiroth is the cuddler.
> 
> *Published on FFnet on July 11, 2010.
> 
> **As of August 19th, 2019, this story will be Sephiroth/Cloud all the way, with fleeting talk of Genesis. I don't plan on bringing Genesis back into the picture except for in a non-romantic way in a later chapter.

_"Do you realize that you have the most beautiful face?"_

Sephiroth smiled when suddenly remembering the exchange between he and Genesis many years ago. It had been late afternoon and they both were in Sephiroth's bed. Spooning the redhead from behind, he had spoken those words into his lover's ear, caressing Genesis' face with the smooth back of his hand. Eyelids fluttered open and blue eyes met Sephiroth's green eyes as Genesis turned his head to gaze at him. A moment passed between them before Genesis completely turned his body toward Sephiroth and met his lips passionately.

No one had ever told Genesis he was beautiful before. Sure, he had heard many cat-calls from the brazen Turk, Reno, but never before had he been referred to as beautiful. It made him want to smother his silver-haired lover in kisses that scorched hotter than any sun, but he settled on just one. He broke their kiss and nuzzled his head beneath Sephiroth's chin. He head Sephiroth sigh with contentment.

_"I mean it, Genesis. You are so beautiful - almost angelic if not for the fact of how devilish you are,"_ Sephiroth said, chuckling softly. The low rumble of his laugher vibrated in his chest and permeated though to Genesis' ear.

Sephiroth snapped out of his haze, realizing that the memory was nothing more than his own personal punishment, a type of hell that he kept putting himself through. He sighed heavily and continued walking. He had left his home earlier without any sort of destination in mind. All he wanted to do was run away from everything. The house reeked of Genesis, reeked of memories of him. His clothes were still folded and put away neatly in their shared dresser, as they had been for years.

Genesis was always gone now. Sephiroth couldn't exactly pinpoint the moment their relationship had ended. One day, they were speaking lovingly to each other, and the next day, Genesis packed a small bag and took off on his motorcycle. He didn't say where he was going. To Sephiroth, it was as if Genesis was throwing away all they had been through over the years. It broke his heart to lose Genesis. Every once in a while, the man would call him from an untraceable number, just to say that he was still alive.

He had not felt Genesis' touch in two years. The beautiful face that he had cherished so much was gone.

As Sephiroth walked along through the hot, desert-like wasteland, he heard something that made him stop in his tracks. His ears perked up as the sound got closer. Could it be him? The rumble and roar of a motorcycle came closer and closer until it was directly behind him. He turned around swiftly, only to see a blond bat out of hell, his sunglasses tightly on, his spiky hair blowing in the breeze… and black leather that shone dully in the scalding sun. Sephiroth raised an arm to flag the man down.

The motorcycle came to a stop beside him, the engine idling as Cloud studied him from behind his sunglasses.

"Sephiroth. Strange to see you out here. What are you doing?" Cloud asked, and Sephiroth shrugged at him. He didn't feel like explaining himself. Cloud finally cut off the engine and stepped off to the side. Reaching into his pocket, he dug out a half-smashed pack of cigarettes and lit one, then offered one to Sephiroth. He gladly took one and Cloud lit it for him. "Is Genesis still gone?" he asked, staring off into the distance.

"Yes."

"You know he's not ever fucking coming back, right?" Cloud said, shaking his head. "You need to just face it, Seph. Genesis has never been the type of guy to play housewife to someone. What you need is a real man. Someone to treat you like you need to be treated."

Sephiroth's face grew red. Who was Cloud to tell him about Genesis? What did Cloud know about their relationship?

"You shut your damned mouth, Cloud! He will come back to me! He's just… not ready, is all," Sephiroth said. Cloud laughed at him and took a drag from his cigarette.

"Who are you kidding? Sephiroth, look at the facts. He's gone," Cloud replied. He blew out a thick puff of smoke and grinned. "What about me?"

"What about you, Cloud? Are you suggesting that you want to shack up with me and be my 'little housewife', as you called Genesis?"

"Maybe."

Sephiroth eyed Cloud closely. "Take off those fucking glasses, Cloud. Look at me," he said. Cloud took off his glasses and stepped directly up to Sephiroth. Even with his boots on, Cloud was much smaller than his old friend. He tilted his head up and stared Sephiroth into his eyes.

"Tifa kicked you out again?" Sephiroth asked, snickering. He could read the man like a book.

"Yeah," Cloud replied. He smirked at Sephiroth and took another drag from his cigarette. He blew the smoke out of the side of his mouth, never severing eye contact with Sephiroth.

"And you need a place to stay, right? That figures. Wasn't it this time last year that she kicked you out, too?" Sephiroth asked, tossing his cigarette to the ground and crushing it out with the toe of his boot.

"She doesn't like my 'alternative lifestyle', as she likes to call it."

"What if I hadn't been wandering around out here? I'll bet you would have ended up at Reno's place, wouldn't you have?" Sephiroth teased. Cloud groaned and shook his head.

"That was a long time ago, Seph. Reno and I are no longer lovers in any way, shape or form. I probably would have come crawling to you for a place to crash," Cloud said. Sephiroth walked over to Cloud's motorcycle and place a hand on it.

"Will this thing fit the both of us?"

"You know it will," Cloud replied, putting his sunglasses back on. He straddled the motorcycle and motioned for Sephiroth to sit behind him. "Hold on," Cloud said as he started up Fenrir. His breath caught in his throat as Sephiroth linked his arms around his waist. "Maybe you should hold on a little tighter," he said, clearing his throat loudly. A lump had formed in it, and now his cheeks were hot. Sephiroth did as he was told, and Cloud turned the bike around, racing at top speed toward Sephiroth's house.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First update to this story since 2010! I'm so excited to be back!

When Cloud's motorcycle screeched to a halt outside of Sephiroth's house, he kicked down the kickstand and waited for Sephiroth to let go of him. He didn't for a few moments, then he heard Sephiroth sigh softly and pull away. He _honestly_ didn't want Sephiroth to let him go in that moment, but Cloud's phone buzzing brought him out of his thoughts, and he rolled his eyes. He flipped open his phone as they were walking down the driveway, reading as he went. He barely registered the door closing behind him, barely noticed the change of scenery from outdoors to indoors.

"This fuckin' bitch," Cloud grumbled, snapping his flip-phone closed after skimming through the angry text. He tossed it onto Sephiroth's kitchen counter. It landed with a loud _thud_ and skirted off into a pile of junk mail. "That's exactly where it needs to be, with the rest of the useless shit!" He sat down with a huff onto the silver-haired man's couch, crossed his arms, and stared at the ceiling.

"....Fucking twat."

Sephiroth chuckled and joined him on the couch. "Tifa?" he asked, raising a silver brow. Cloud grunted in response.

"Not gonna talk about it."

"I'd rather not talk about her either," Sephiroth said. He looked over at Cloud. "Mind if I bum another one?" he asked, nodding toward Cloud's cigarette pack that dangled precariously out of his pocket.

The blond shrugged and waved his hand in a motion over his pocket. "Don't care," he mumbled.

Sephiroth hesitantly reached for Cloud's cigarettes, a breath stalled in his lungs. Cloud's pants were... tight. Gods, they were tight. He furrowed his brows, sneaking a look at Cloud as he paused over his pocket. Cloud looked over suddenly, looked down, and sighed. He slumped down further onto the couch, giving Sephiroth a better angle to grab the cigarette pack from. "Just get the fucking things!" Cloud quipped, grinning. Sephiroth grabbed them quickly and shoved one between his lips.

"Need a light? My lighter is deeper down in the pocket. Maybe something more, if you reach down far enough."

"..."

"Oh my gods, are you getting shy on me or somethin'?" Cloud crowed. He laughed until he sputtered, choking on his own spit. "Ol' General Sephiroth, shy? What happened to the guy who used to technically hand it out for free on the weekends in the Shinra Army?"

"That's not true!"

"That's not what Zack said!"

Sephiroth stood up and turned his back to Cloud. He huffed and went into the kitchen for a box of matches. "I'll get my own fucking light," he mumbled. He took a long drag from the cigarette and returned to the living room. He stood in front of the couch and crossed his arms, looking down at Cloud, who now had his boots off. "No wonder Tifa can't fucking live with you. You're a horndog, you're crass, and... your feet stink."

"H-ey!" Cloud shouted. He stood up, vaguely noticing their difference in height. He looked up at the tall man and cocked his head. "You... You're the slut! What was that old saying going around the company years ago? '_Every hole is a goal_'? Goddamn, Sephiroth. I hear even Lazard got a piece of that fine ass!"

Sephiroth stubbed his cigarette out in an ashtray and stepped closer to Cloud. "You might want to slow down, Cloud," he said in a low, threatening voice.

Cloud smirked. "I heard that once Genesis let you tag his ass, Shinra's Cum Depository was shut down for good."

The blond knew he was pushing Sephiroth over the edge, but he wanted it. He wanted to loosen the ex-General up. This man in front of him, his old friend, was a mere shadow of himself since Genesis had left him. There had been many nights where they all sat around in Sephiroth's house and drank until they stumbled out into the street; they were all old friends - and quite close. They knew each other in and out, and he knew the old Sephiroth was in there somewhere. The Sephiroth he knew wouldn't be holed up in his house crying.

Old Sephiroth needed to be reminded of who he was.

Sephiroth suddenly lunged forward onto Cloud, both of them slamming in a heap onto the carpeted floor. Sephiroth grabbed Cloud by the collar of his shirt, straddling the smaller blond. "Stop talking shit, Strife!" he hissed.

Cloud shoved back.

Sephiroth didn't move. It was like shoving against a boulder. He began to pummel his fists against Sephiroth's chest, to no avail. Sephiroth began to laugh. It rolled up from his chest into his throat, quickly exploding into a tear-choked coughing fit. He let go of Cloud and backed off, hiding his face.

"Why'd you have to mention him??" Sephiroth choked out, sniffling.

"...'Cause you said my feet stank."

They looked at each other and burst into laughter. Sephiroth wiped his eyes and collapsed onto his back to lay beside Cloud. They lay in silence, staring at the ceiling. "I do miss him," Sephiroth said quietly.

"I told ya," Cloud started hesitantly. "He ain't comin' back, Seph."

"I know."

"Then why are you holding a candle for him after two years?"

"Because I fucking loved him, Cloud! You remember how Genesis and I were! He was my soulmate!" Sephiroth shouted, getting angry again. Cloud rolled over and propped his chin on his hand, gazing at Sephiroth's face. He loved it when his friend got angry, his full lips becoming pouty and twitching at one side. He'd always wanted to kiss that twitch away, and yet Sephiroth never made him the flavor of the weekend during their time working for Shinra. He was never that lucky: he got _Reno,_ who ended up being emotionally unavailable except for when they fucked. Cloud needed a good goddamn fuck who would love him regardless if they were warming his bed.

He leaned closer to Sephiroth. Waited. Then Sephiroth turned to him.

Their eyes locked. Anger still flashed behind Sephiroth's green eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Cloud grabbed Sephiroth by his shirt, ignoring the man's protests - and pressed his mouth hard onto Sephiroth's. He suddenly felt Sephiroth's tension release, felt his body go slack beside his. And without warning, strong arms were pulling him over. Long fingers grasped at his blond spikes as Cloud lost himself in their kiss, surrounded by silver strands that looked like threads of a web ready to trap him. Gods, he wanted to be his prey! Their mouths parted and Cloud moaned into Sephiroth's mouth.

Sephiroth's mind was racing. Cloud didn't taste like Genesis at _all_, didn't smell like him, didn't look like him. Cloud tasted of vanilla and cigarettes, danger and... life. Sephiroth gently broke their kiss and pulled away. Tears were threatening to spill over again. Half of them were for Genesis. The other half?

He looked at Cloud.

"Get me out of this hell."

"I can do better than that, Seph. I can take you places you've never been, places you won't soon forget."


	3. Chapter 3

It was late at night. Sephiroth's head spun as he stepped onto the driveway of his house. He walked sluggishly, staring at the moving ground as he made his way over to the large trash bin parked outside his front gate. He ripped the lid off and leaned into it, choking and vomiting up the entire bottle of moscato that he had drank all by himself on the long walk home. It was a jumbo bottle - quite cheap at the local tobacco store, where he'd finally gone to get his own cigarettes. He was tired of bumming them off of Cloud, and he'd needed a drink and some time to himself.

One drink had become the entire bottle. Sephiroth had turned it up and chugged it like water. Once he got past the cheap taste, it rolled down his throat easily. Cloud had gone to bed early, telling him that they had a long journey ahead of them in the morning. He still couldn't get it out of the blond about where they were going first; he just knew that Cloud was getting him the fuck out of there. He'd packed a small bag: small enough to strap onto Fenrir along with Cloud's meager belongings. Money was no big deal, thankfully. Their monthly checks from Shinra still rolled in, though they should have stopped years ago when they'd left the company.

Sephiroth groaned and shut the lid of the trash bin, shuffling down the walkway and into his house. From the darkness of the night into a dimly-lit living room, he made his way to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He looked at his reflection in the mirror: he looked terrible, stressed. He shut off the light and ambled over to where Cloud slept on his couch, setting his shopping bag down onto the floor. He knelt beside him and brushed a blond strand of hair from his face, watching Cloud's nose wrinkle in his sleep. Sephiroth smiled, remembering their kiss from earlier that evening. It was surprisingly more erotic and passionate than anything he remembered with Genesis. While Cloud was full of life, Genesis always seemed empty. He had loved Sephiroth, sure, but now Sephiroth wondered if there was anything more than habit and comfort.

He'd wasted two years waiting on Genesis to make his way back. The notion seemed utterly ridiculous at this point, staring down and watching Cloud sleep. He wanted to curl up next to the blond and be held, be kissed again. The thought was so peculiar: Cloud had been a close friend for years. How did it suddenly escalate to... love?

He shook his head. _It's not love. I still love Genesis, don't I?_

Sephiroth groaned and put his head in his hands, covering his face. He wanted to cry again. He fucking hated crying. Everything he'd been taught growing up, everything he'd been through, it all made him serious and unemotional most of the time. He knew very well how to shut off his emotions and go completely on auto-pilot. When he met Genesis and they got together, all of that changed. Perhaps it was the long nights of poetry and wine, lovemaking and promises. Something had broken inside of Sephiroth, and it got worse when Genesis left.

Cloud was right: Many years ago, Sephiroth was a bit of a jokester and was fun to be around. He knew when to shut down his emotions when it counted, but for the most part, he had been as crass and foul-mouthed as Cloud and the others. He cherished the memories of weekend gatherings at his house, playing cards and drinking until the party spilled out into the street. What wasn't true was that he was "Shinra's Cum Depository", as Cloud had so eloquently put it. Before Genesis, Sephiroth had never even kissed anyone. However, that first night that they were officially together, Genesis had seduced him like the redhead was trying to put a notch in his belt. It had started at the downtown club - the shitty, backwoods Daisy Hovel - and the next thing he remembered was being fondled in the hallway of the dorm, feeling incredibly awkward and unsure. Genesis had backed him against the wall once they were in Sephiroth's room, whispering words of love as his mouth made its way to his neck. Sephiroth had stood stiffly, frozen in place as Genesis worked his slim hand into Sephiroth's pants.

"You're not enjoying this?" Genesis asked, rubbing Sephiroth's limp cock. There was a flash of anger in the redhead's eyes. "Is there something wrong with me? You don't like me or something?"

After taking some time to embarrassingly explain to him that he was nervous, Genesis laughed at him. Laughed. And then he bade him goodnight, leaving Sephiroth flustered and confused. After many rambling apologies about Mako infusions and heightened libido, Sephiroth shrugged and forgave him. After all, no one _else_ was interested in Sephiroth. He was tired of seeing everyone around him falling in love and pairing up. Goddamn it, he wanted that, too. So for the next year or so, he let Genesis romance him in his cocky, often pushy, way. He gave into the romantic side of it, swept up in the long nights and happiness when Genesis was in his best mood. Really, when Sephiroth thought about it, Genesis had manipulated him. He'd used him up until he was done with him, leaving him alone once more.

In his drunken state, Sephiroth started weeping openly. He lay his head against the couch cushion in front of him where Cloud lay still sleeping, wetting it with his hot tears. Minutes went by - and then he felt a hand caressing the top of his head, petting his hair. He sniffled hard and raised his head up to look at the blond man, ashamed of himself. Cloud was only half-awake, lazily stroking his head.

_"...Genesis is a fucking dick, and i'm drunk, and I just wanna kiss you so I can forget about his stupid face!"_ Sephiroth blubbered, the words spilling out of his mouth.

Cloud's sleepy expression fully reflected the fact that he hadn't even registered exactly what the silver-haired man had said. He squinted at Sephiroth. "You should probably go to bed, Seph. We've got a long ride in the morning," he mumbled. He pulled his hand away from Sephiroth's head and curled the blanket around him, balling the soft material into his fist. He started lightly snoring. Sephiroth's mouth flew open in protest, but no words came out.

Cloud had just given him the equivalent of "not tonight dear", for fuck's sake. Sephiroth scowled and dried his eyes, rummaging around in his shopping bag for a pack of cigarettes. He carefully peeled off the cellophane and opened the pack. Letting a cigarette dangle from his lips, he raised a lighter to it while staring at Cloud.

The glow from the lighter made Cloud's skin radiate. His eyes roamed over little freckles on his nose that he'd never noticed before. He clicked off the lighter and exhaled smoke toward the ceiling, then turned back to Cloud. He reached a hand over to caress his face, letting his thumb linger over his lower lip as he gently stroked it. Without any time to second-guess himself, he leaned forward and planted a kiss on those lips, careful not to wake the peaceful man. He lay his head back down beside Cloud on the cushion and sighed deeply. Cloud had stopped snoring and was stirring.

"Sephiroth."

"Hmm?" Sephiroth hummed in question. He picked his head up slightly, turned it, and was met with Cloud's face next to his.

"Would you... would you kiss me again?"

Sephiroth stubbed out his cigarette in an ashtray on the coffee table and shifted to his knees. He raised his hand and slid his fingers into Cloud's hair, holding his head and stroking his cheek with his thumb. They gazed at each other for the longest time; then, gently, Sephiroth leaned down and covered Cloud's lips with his own. This kiss was so different than the one they had shared earlier that evening, born out of an argument between two old friends. They had been heated earlier, struggling almost.

Cloud's mouth parted, giving Sephiroth full access to his warmth. It was slow and delicious, haunting and painful, all at the same time. Sephiroth tasted like sweet wine. Cloud felt as if his heart would burst as his body gave an unconscious shudder of absolute surrender. He opened his eyes as the kiss ended, blown away by the beauty of the silver tresses that now curtained his and Sephiroth's faces. Time truly seemed to stand still as they gazed at one another again.

"You are so beautiful," Cloud whispered. A tear slipped from Sephiroth's eye at this proclamation, dripping down onto Cloud's cheek. Cloud smiled empathetically, lifting his hands to touch Sephiroth's face. He traced his jawbone, his lips, his eyebrows. He gently rubbed his thumbs across his eyelids, the man closing them down in response. "Sleep, Seph. We'll say goodbye to all of this when we wake."

"Come to bed with me."

"Okay," Cloud replied with a whisper. Sephiroth braced himself on the arm of the couch and stood up, offering his hand to Cloud. The blond took it and was led to Sephiroth's darkened bedroom. Sephiroth pulled him down onto the bed and lay down beside him. Cloud shifted closer over to Sephiroth's warm, waiting body. Strong arms held him for the rest of that night as they both fell asleep without further words or actions. It was the best sleep that either one of them had ever had.

When morning came, they still had not moved.


End file.
